London Cheesecake

Just a quick update this evening. I have been busy making new dishes, taking photos, and I promise, they will appear on Muddy Kitchen Floor soon…….. I Promise…….

Recently a memory came flooding into my mind. One I’d like to share with you.

Every Saturday, as I grew up in Bermondsey, my nan would make the short 20 minute walk from her house to our house. I say 20 minutes, but when you knew “everyone” and had to stop for a chat, or when you “just popped” into the butchers, bakers, greengrocers, newsagents like she did, it could take her over an hour to get to us. She would come in, shopping trolly laden with food, and little paper bags bulging with fresh baked rolls or cakes from the bakers.

My favourite would be a London Cheesecake. A little square of puff pastry, filled with a layer of jam, topped with white glacé icing, and a mound of shredded desiccated coconut. One of the best bits of eating this cake was once you had taken the cake out of the bag, you could put your hand back in, right into the corners, and get some more of that delicious sweet shredded coconut. Ahh simple pleasures….

I have to admit, though it made me smile, this particular memory made me yearn for those days, simple days, knowing it would all be ok with cuddle from nan!!

You can imagine, of course, how excited I was recently, when just before a bank meeting, we decided to pop into a chain of “bakers” and on the counter was this little beauty

Yes a London Cheesecake.

Did it taste as nice? Well I’m sure there was much more jam inside, but with every bite, I remembered my sweet, gossipy, hardworking, stubborn, funny nan.

I can’t have her cuddles anymore, I miss her more today than I would have thought possible, but at least I now know where I can find some London Cheesecake.